Agitator for milk products



April 9, 1935. L. L ARBUCKLE 1,997,035

AGITATOR FOR MILK PRODUCTS Filed Aug; 20, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J 7121220601," vLcwInm L AJLZIZZ wok be April 9, 1935. L. ARBUCKLE 1,997,035

AGITATOR FOR MILK PRODUCTS Filed Aug. 20, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 9, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT orrlca AGITATOR FOR MILK PRODUCTS Lawrence L. Arbuckle, Chicago, Ill., assigncr of one-half to Julius I. Corn, Chicago, Ill.

Application August 20, 1932, Serial No. 629,588 ,2 Claims. (01. 259,1o)

My present application relates to improvements in apparatus for the use in the production of milk products. It is already well known that ice-cream of av superior excellence can be pro- 5 duced when the elements going into its composition are agitated or beaten as they are being frozen, and like advantageous results may be secured in the preparation of other milk products by agitation while they are being heated. All products containing milk must be kept scrupulously clean'and the apparatus for the production of such products should be designed and constructed so as to permit of the easy and complete cleansing and sterilization of all portions thereof which come in contact with the milk. It has generally been found desirable to provide a scraper in connection with ice-cream freezers for removing the portions of the product which adhere to the walls during the progress of the freezing in addition to the necessary elements for beating the product. A scraper'is equally, if not more, necessary in apparatus'in which the milk is heated for preventing the formation of an adhering layer or pellicle of the product against the side of the'container. Such a scraper works most advantageously when not rotated toorapidly, whereas the elements that do the beating of the product can advantageously be rotated at a greater rate of speed.

It is highly desirable to delay the beating of the productuntil after preliminary chilling or heating has been accomplished, ,as beating at that stage of operations merely delays the chilling or heating. The action of thescraper, however, is peculiarly necessary during a preliminary chilling or heating for it is at this time that portions of. the product are most likely to adhere to the Walls of the chamber in which the operations'are being performed.

As will hereafter be seen, I have provided a helical passageway around the chamber for the circulation ofthe cooling medium whichhas peculiar advantages in the economy of construction and in operation as it facilitates the ready passage of heat through the container wall and'discourages the passage of heat through otherportions of the passage.

In the provision of my present apparatus I have had in mind the production of a mechanism, all-parts of which contact the milk, may be quickly 1 and completely cleaned and sterilized, and I have also had in mind the production of a device in whichI am able to control the operation of-the heaters independently of the operation of the operation of the scraper.

.lugs 22.

I have attained the aforementioned objects by means of the structure illustrated in the accom panying drawings, in which. f

Fig. 1 is a central vertical section through a structure embodying my present invention.

Fig. 2 isa horizontal section through the heat transfer portion of the device on line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective detail of the coupling member for driving the beatershaft.

Fig. 4 is a perspective detail of the coupling member for driving the scraper frame.

Fig. 5 is an assembly iew showing the coupling members in their operative relations. r

Fig. 6 is a cross sectional fragmental detail showing the construction of the channel for the cooling or heating medium. r v I Similar reference characters have been employed for designating similar parts throughout the respective views.

The power applying means are mounted within a framework comprising an upper plate l0 and a lower plate ll held in parallel and spaced relation by an integral verticalside plate I2 and an opposite detachable vertical side plate l3 which is held in suitable relation to the top and bottom'plates by means of the machine screws or bolts 14. Centrally of the vertical side plates I2 is a centrally bored. embossment l5 which forms a journal for a shaft 56, the outer end of which may be connected in any desired way with a suitable source of power such as an electric motor (not shown). To the innerend of the shaft I6 are keyeda pair of beveled'gears H and I8, the beveled gear I! located at'the end of the shaft l6 being of smallerdiameter than the beveled gear I 8.

Centrally of the top plate I0 is a bored emboss'ment l9 forming the journal or bearing for a hollow. or bored shaft. 20v upon the lower end of which is keyed a beveled gear 2| meshing with the beveled gear IT. The upper end of the shaft 20 is provided with the upstanding Centrally of the lower plate Hand aligning 'with the bore in the tubular shaft 20 is a recess 23 which forms a bearing for the lower end of the shaft, the top of which extends to about the top of the tubular shaft 20 and is provided with a transverse slot 25.

Rotatably mounted upon. the shaft24' is the beveled gear. 26 meshing with the beveled gear I8. The hub of the beveled gear 26 is provided with the upstanding lugs 21. which co-operate with recesses 28 in a clutch collar 29-co-operawhich it co-operates.

' number, three or featheror spline and a slot or splineway provided in the shaft 24. The clutch collar 29 is 7 provided with an annular channel 3| with which co-operates the arms of a bifurcated lever 32 It will, of course, be understood that the clutch collar 29 is for the purpose of controlling the transmission of movement from the beveled gear 26 to the shaft 24.

Arising from the top plate I!) are a suitable more, posts or columns34 which are either integral or suitably connected with the base or supporting plate 35-of or for Centrally of the plate 35 is a depending. tubular or bored embossment 36, the bore whereof aligns with the bore in the embossment l9. Disposed concentrically upon the top of the plate 35 is prefer-' ably a spun metal container 31, centrally perforated to register with the bore in the embossment 36. Soldered or sweated or otherwise suitably secured about the central perforation is an annulus 33, the upper face whereof may be easily lapped or ground to secure a true surface which will fit and substantially seal with the part with The part with which the annulus 38 co-operates is a tubular shaft 39, shown in detail in Fig. 4, which has an extended annular head 46, the under face of which is also ground-or lapped to rest upon and fit with the Q opposite recesses 42 toreceive the lugs'22 upon fie thetubula-r shaft 26. Surrounding and adjacent the central opening in the annular head 46 is a slightly raised annular bearing 43 outside 'of 'which upon the annular head are provided the oppositely disposed upstanding lugs 44.

' Extending through the bore in the tubular shaft 3315 the solid shaft 45 carrying adjacent its upper end the annularly extending flange 46,

the lower face of which rests upon the bearing surface 43. Extending above the flange 46 is the angular; or as shown rectangular, projection 41. Concentric with the-vertical walls of the metal container 31 and spaced therefrom and supported by the platev 35 is the exterior casing 48 of .the heattransfer compartment. Securing together the upper ends of the walls of the container 31 and exterior casing 48 is the annular top head 49 into the central opening of which fits a. cap or closure 56, provided witha central'hollow embossment 5!. The closure may be secured in place in any desired way such as is shown by stud bolt 52, arm 53 and set sores/.54, a suitable number of these devices being'spaced about the annulus 49.

Mounted within the spun metal container'31 is .a rectangular scraper frame comprising a lower horizontal member 55, an upper horizontal :member 56, the opposite ends whereof are connected by vertical members 51 and 58.' Centrally "of. the lower horizontal member 55 ofthe scraper frame is a bore or-pe'rforation slightly larger than the annular flange 46 of the shaft 45, and depending from the lower face of the member 55 is an embossment 59 in which is provided slots or apertures 60 for the receipt of the studs 44 of the tubular shaft 39. Pivoted to the horizontal :members 55 and 56 of the scraper'frame and extending parallel with the vertical members 51 'tively related with the shaft 24 by means of a and 58 of this frameare the scrapers 6|. Also pivoted to the bottom horizontal member 55 of the scraper frame from depending lugs 62 are scrapers 63 for moving the product from the bottom of the container 31. r

I have also shown extending upwardly from the lower horizontal member 5501? the'scraper frame upwardly and backwardly curved blades 64 which 7 assist in the movement of the product. Extending laterally and inwardly from the vertical memthrough the co-action of the small beveled gear l1 with the somewhat larger beveled gear 2|.

A beater shaft 66 is disposed centrally of the container 31.

vertical disposition with the blades 65 extending from the scraper frame. The lower end or foot 68 of the beater shaft 66 has a socket, most clearly shown in Fig. 6 of anfangular shape to co-operate with the angular projection 41 of the This beater shaft 66 lsprovided i with laterally extending blades 61'alternating in' shaft" 45. -The top of the beater shaft 56 is threaded to receive a tapped tubular or cylindric cap 16, the upper end of which enters the borein the embossment 5| and passes through the bore' in a central depending embossment 1lprovided in the upper horizontal member 56 of the scraper frame;

As will be seen from an inspection of Figs 1 I have" left a slight space between the tops of the tubular shaft 20 and shaft 24 and the bottoms of tubular shaft 39 and shaft 45 so that any thrust T or vertical movement imparted to the lower shafts will not be transmitted to the upper shaftsto disturb the seating of the flanged heads 40 and-46 'upon their respective supports. The

assembly of the scraper frame with the lugs 60" and'theassembly of the beater shafts 66 with the angular'head 41 is sufficiently. loose so that any lateral play in the scraper frame or beater shaft will also leave the-seating of the flanges 40 and 46 undisturbed. The ground seats of these flanges will prevent the escape of any aptpreciable'amount of the contents of the container 31 therefrom and any such escape of thecontents will be in a direction as prevent the contamination of the product in'the container 31.

g It willbe seen that when it is desired to cleanse and sterilize the parts not only can the scraper frame and the beater shaft, butalso the shafts 45 and 39, be easily removed'from the container and quickly and completely sterilized. 1

For causing a suitable circulation of acoolin'g or heating medium about the spun metal co'h- .tainer 31, I roll 'a ribbon or band or tube of a 15 are soldered or sweated or otherwise suitably secured" thereto.

Such a construction is not only simple and economical, both in material and labor, but also leaves between the heating or cooling medium'in the channel and the product to which heat'isrto beadded or from which heat is to be extracted only the thickness of the wall of the chamberf31 for conduction to' take place. The walls of the channel through which the heating or cooling mediumis circulated; other than 'that provided by the wall of the chamber for the product, contain an air chamber of such size as to prevent substantial circulation of the air therein which provides a most effective insulator against the conduction of heat through said walls. Such a circulating chamber is not only good for use with any kind of heating fluid but also for cooled brine, and has peculiar advantages in connection with the use of a vaporizable cooling medium where the construction has to stand a change of pressure as the juncture between the flanges and the walls of the container add materially to the strength of the structure as a whole and to its several parts.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination a cylindrical chamber, 9. rectangular scraper frame disposed within said chamber, scrapers pivotally mounted upon said frame, agitator blades extending from said scraper frame toward the axis of rotation thereof, a beater shaft rotatably mounted in the axis of rotation of said scraper frame, beater blades extending laterally therefrom and alternately with respect to the blades carried by said scraper frame, a tubular shaft, a shaft mounted therein, means for rotating said tubular shaft, clutch controlled means for rotating said interior shaft, and removable sealing elements extending through the walls of said chamber and establishing couplings with longitudinal play between said tubular shaft and included shaft respectively with said scraper frame and beater shaft.

2. In combination a cylindricalvertically disposed container having a perforation in the cen-.

ter of the bottom thereof, a washer with a ground upper face mounted within said container about said perforation, a tubular shaft extending through said perforation, a laterally extending annular head upon said tubular shaft, the under face whereof is ground and co-operates with said washer, said lateral flange having an annular ground path upon its upper face, a shaft mounted within said tubular shaft, a lateral head upon v ing with said interior shaft having longitudinal play with respect thereto for rotating it in an opposite direction. a

LAWRENCE L. ARBUCKLE. 

